'White Christmas' ★★★

"White Christmas" (or, to use its full title, "Irving Berlin's White Christmas") sounds like a classic musical, but it was developed in 2004 as a way to capitalize on the popularity of the 1954 movie that contained the signature feel-good ditty. It's the holiday story of a pair of song-and-dance men who snag themselves a sister act and head for a Vermont hotel in order to rescue their former World War II general, a man better suited to active duty than inn keeping. And the stage version contains several Berlin standards that were not in the film. This is no masterpiece of theatrical writing, but the songs are iconic and the romantic story has a strong emotional pull. And at the Marriott Theatre, director Marc Robin comes up with a number of strategies to give this family-friendly show more weight and heft. Two of those strategies are named David Lively and Alene Robertson, who give the show a truthful root. - CHRIS JONES Through Jan. 1 at the Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire; $41-$49 at 847-634-0200 and marriotttheatre.com

"White Christmas" (or, to use its full title, "Irving Berlin's White Christmas") sounds like a classic musical, but it was developed in 2004 as a way to capitalize on the popularity of the 1954 movie that contained the signature feel-good ditty. It's the holiday story of a pair of song-and-dance men who snag themselves a sister act and head for a Vermont hotel in order to rescue their former World War II general, a man better suited to active duty than inn keeping. And the stage version contains several Berlin standards that were not in the film. This is no masterpiece of theatrical writing, but the songs are iconic and the romantic story has a strong emotional pull. And at the Marriott Theatre, director Marc Robin comes up with a number of strategies to give this family-friendly show more weight and heft. Two of those strategies are named David Lively and Alene Robertson, who give the show a truthful root. - CHRIS JONES Through Jan. 1 at the Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire; $41-$49 at 847-634-0200 and marriotttheatre.com

"White Christmas" (or, to use its full title, "Irving Berlin's White Christmas") sounds like a classic musical, but it was developed in 2004 as a way to capitalize on the popularity of the 1954 movie that contained the signature feel-good ditty. It's the holiday story of a pair of song-and-dance men who snag themselves a sister act and head for a Vermont hotel in order to rescue their former World War II general, a man better suited to active duty than inn keeping. And the stage version contains several Berlin standards that were not in the film. This is no masterpiece of theatrical writing, but the songs are iconic and the romantic story has a strong emotional pull. And at the Marriott Theatre, director Marc Robin comes up with a number of strategies to give this family-friendly show more weight and heft. Two of those strategies are named David Lively and Alene Robertson, who give the show a truthful root. - CHRIS JONES Through Jan. 1 at the Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire; $41-$49 at 847-634-0200 and marriotttheatre.com